Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the civic agency of the Karnataka capital, has put on hold its decision to change the names of streets in Muslim-majority pockets of an area to honour leaders from the community.
The decision came after BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who represents Bangalore South, shot off a letter to BBMP commissioner Manjunath Prasad, objecting to the rechristening of roads in the Padarayanapura area of the city after Muslim leaders alone. Surya’s protest was supported by fellow BJP MP Anantkumar Hedge, who represents Uttara Kannada and also wrote his own letter to the BBMP commissioner. A third BJP MP, P.C. Mohan of the Bangalore Central constituency, also wrote to Prasad.
After the public uproar over proposed naming of certain roads in a few Muslim dominated Bangalore after only Muslim names, BBMP has dropped the idea.
A vigilant Hindu society can thwart such ill intentioned attempts. pic.twitter.com/NJm7ZwGNYe
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) December 31, 2020
On 10 September, the BBMP had written to the Karnataka Ministry of Urban Development, intimating it about its decision to name 11 roads of Padarayanapura after the Pehalwans, the Hajis, and other personalities belonging to the Muslim community. This is the same area that witnessed riots in August last year.
In a letter dated 31 December, Surya said the decision to name roads in Muslim-majority areas after Muslims reeks of the “communal mentality of Jinnah’s two-nation theory”.
“There is no dearth of non-Muslim public figures and patriots on whom are roads can be named after (sic),” he added. He also asked the BBMP commissioner to revise the list of names and only finalise it after public discussion.
Along with Sri @AnantkumarH, I'm filing objections to proposed naming of roads in Padarayanpura with only Muslim names
Naming roads in Muslim-dominated locality after Muslims reeks of the same communal mentality as 2-nation theory & Muslim League's demand of separate electorates pic.twitter.com/GEcju3nMls
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) December 31, 2020
“I strongly oppose the move to name it (roads) after Muslims. If the civic bodies in other parts of the state resort to the same move, it will lead to disruption of communal harmony,” Hegde said in another letter to the BBMP commissioner.
Reached for comment, BBMP commissioner Prasad said he has recommended cancelling the decision.
“Before the tenure of the BBMP council ended in September last year, they passed a number of resolutions. One of them was the renaming of 11 roads. As per the procedure, after the council passes such a resolution, a public notification needs to be issued and it was done. Three MPs, Tejasvi Surya (Bangalore South), Anantkumar Hegde (Uttara Kannada) and P.C. Mohan (Bangalore central) have raised objections,” he added.
“There is a provision in the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act that a resolution passed by the council can be referred to the state government for cancellation. As of now, it is on hold. After the procedure is completed, it will be cancelled,” he said.
A similar controversy in 2014
A similar controversy erupted when the BBMP decided to name a road in the IT city’s Indiranagar area after renowned folklorist Dr S.K. Karim Khan.
Dr Khan was very popular and well-known for his vast collection of ballads and oral epics.
The municipal corporation passed a resolution in 2006, when the road was under construction, to name it after Khan. The protest erupted in 2014, when the construction was completed.
The BJP, then in opposition, had said that the road should be named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee rather than Khan. However, the resolution had the backing of pro-Kannada groups, forcing the BJP to backtrack.
Subscribe to our channels on YouTube & Telegram
Why news media is in crisis & How you can fix it
India needs free, fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism even more as it faces multiple crises.
But the news media is in a crisis of its own. There have been brutal layoffs and pay-cuts. The best of journalism is shrinking, yielding to crude prime-time spectacle.
ThePrint has the finest young reporters, columnists and editors working for it. Sustaining journalism of this quality needs smart and thinking people like you to pay for it. Whether you live in India or overseas, you can do it here.